Another Ballot Measure? What Are The Choices?

posted by gloria ohland | 498mp
July 07, 2015

What are the implications of these choices?

A longer measure brings in more revenue, obviously, and more revenue provides for a more robust investment program including more money -- for example -- for bike and pedestrian improvements, a zero- and near-zero emission goods movement system (clean trucks), and a "Grand Boulevards" program to revitalize LA County's many important arterial streets with improved bus service (perhaps an upgrade to bus rapid transit), better bus stops and real time info about arrivals and departures, bike lanes and sidewalk repairs, shade trees, signal synchronization, etc.

More money and more projects in more subregions is likely to equal more voter support. But . . . do voters get sticker shock?

I believe a new transit tax measure is in order. Simply extending the lifetime of Measure R would seem a bit ho-hum and decidedly uninspired. We need to leverage the momentum built from it and introduce bold, exciting new rail projects that will galvanize widespread interest across the various sub-regions of the county. Swing for the fences and focus on quality rather than quantity. This means extending the Red Line to Whittier and extending the Purple Line along Valley Blvd., among other things.